Welcome to my nightmare
by mikewal896
Summary: What would you do if you could not wake up from a nightmare? This is my tale of waking up as Rick Grimes. This is my first attempt at writing so any suggestions for improvement is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my nightmare

Chapter 1

"Hack", "Cough", "Ahem"

Damn my throat is dry and I feel like shit. Finally taking note of my surroundings I find myself very confused. I appear to be in a hospital room but the last thing I remember is going to sleep after binge watching the TWD again. How did I get here and why is my side bandaged? Pressing the call button seems to get no response. It is quiet, too quiet no beeps or buzzing of equipment or even the murmur of voices. I try calling out for a nurse but I can barely manage a croak as my throat is so dry.

First things first I need something to drink. Getting up to go to the washroom I promptly collapse to the floor taking the IV pole with me. Why am I so weak? How long was I out? Slowly crawling I make it to the bathroom and pull myself up to the sink and turn on the water. I shove my head under the faucet and begin drinking only to have to spew it up as my stomach rebels. Taking my time, I manage to keep the water down. Having parched my thirst for the moment I look into the mirror and fall to the floor in shock.

"No, No, No, ah Hell No" This has to be a nightmare, I need to wake up. I try pinching and even slapping myself but all that does is add more sore spots to this body. After spending some time in denial, I have come to the conclusion that I am now Rick Grimes as portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. I really hope the virus (AKA the writers) does not make me as stupid as the characters in the show.

Let's see if I can change how things happen or if I am forced to follow the plot of the show. Starting by looking through the dresser I find a change of clothes. Returning to the washroom I remove my dressing and rank boxers then wipe myself down with a wet paper towel. Once dressed in sweat pants, a button up shirt and wearing my cowboy boots I feel a little better about my chances.

Thinking things through I grab the pillow case to use as a bag then go through the room stuffing any use full medical supplies etc. into it. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any thing I can use as weapon in the room. Not that I am in any condition to fight a walker in melee combat. Here's to hoping that there are no walkers roaming the halls like in the show. Come to think of it where am I going to go when I get out of here? It's not like I know where Rick's house… Huh that's weird I seem to know where the house is. Oh, great I am not just stuck in this nightmare but apparently, I am to be entertainment for some Random Omnipotent Being or Beings. It's the only thing that makes sense considering how I got here and that I have access to some of rick's memories. Hopefully I have some of his skill as well or this may be over quickly ROB.

Quietly opening the door and moving the gurney out of the way I enter the hall way. The gurney and the deserted hallway with papers scattered over the floor is a good first sign. I make my way to the nurses' station where I clean out the pharmacy cabinet on the wall by sliding everything into my pillow case. I also grab the stethoscope and the blue nurse's kit off the desktop. Lucky me there is also a couple bottles of water back here which quickly join the meds in my sack. No luck on finding a weapon but there is an old newspaper here I can roll up and use as a torch instead of burning my fingers on the matches. Even though I am expecting it the sight of the decomposing nurse is still nauseating. As quickly and quietly as possible I sneak by the infamous cafeteria doors. Damn that was creepy, using the matches I light my newspaper torch and make my way down the stairs to the second-floor exit. The glare and the smell are overwhelming as I open the door to the outside. Even knowing what to expect I am still freaking out over all the dead bodies out here.

I take a moment to work up my courage and make my way down the stairway and through the bodies. I slowly climb the grass covered hill, my body aches in places I did not know I had. Thank god the military camp is here so I can take a Humvee as there is no way I am riding a bicycle several miles in this condition. Hm strange that I don't see any bodies lying around out here but on the positive side I also don't see any walkers roaming around either.

Well let's see what I can scavenge from the camp. The Stryker APC would be so awesome to have but I don't know how to operate it and I am not ready to try and clear it if it is occupied by walkers. The 50 Cal and ammo mounted to the Huey would be good to take but I would need Morgan's help to dismount it. Hopefully I can convince him to help me if we meet that is. Moving towards the tents and Humvees I take note of the various crates of supplies and fuel drums. I spot a rifle lying on the ground and head towards it. It is an M4 carbine and by the decaying flesh and dried blood on the strap it probably fell off a walker. Unfortunately, upon checking the magazine it is empty. However, the weapon is still worth keeping along with a few empty magazines lying around which I pick up.

Reaching the parked Humvees, I take a moment for a breather as I am tired after lying in a bed for who knows how long. I listen for the rasp or shuffling of walkers but all is still quiet. I look into one of the Humvees in the front row for walkers and to see if the steering wheel is locked. I quietly open the door and check the fuel gauge, Yes! It reads full. Leaving the sack in the passenger seat and placing the M4 in the door mount I make my way to the big tent.

Once again, I listen for walkers but hear nothing. I am concerned though as the bullet holes in the canvas may indicate a battle took place inside. There may be one of them sneaky walkers lying around playing possum inside. Deciding to go inside and check it out the tent appears to have been a command post from the look of the furniture and map stands etc. Oh shit! There is body at the desk in the back. I am just about to make a run for the Humvee when I notice he has been shot in the head. Slowly making my way through the tent I see a few more corpses with head shots and a lot of shell casings spread across the floor. I guess one or more walkers must have surprised the soldiers. The corpses all seem to be officers, perhaps the loss of command is why the soldiers started killing people in the hospital like Shane described.

Going over the corpses I managed to piece together some body armor, tactical vest, as well as a helmet that fits. I also picked up another M4 as well as a couple of M9 pistols with some spare magazines for the weapons. The most important find was enough 5.56mm and 9mm ammo for the two full magazines per weapon. The commander was apparently from the 7th cavalry as per the markings on the helicopter outside and the unit patch on his uniform. I assume that is why I found a cavalry sword and scabbard tucked away behind the desk. Time to take my haul to the Humvee and head to Rick's house as I have probably pushed my luck being out here so long.

While driving the Humvee and watching where I am going so as not to have an accident like the idiots on the show, I begin pondering what I should do from this point on. Do I stay with Morgan and Duane, go to Atlanta to rescue the scavenging party, or directly to the quarry? I definitely need to get together with other people. At a minimum I will need someone to watch my back and to share watches with.

Pulling up in front of Rick's house, I guess it's my house now, I park and look around for danger before getting out. Putting an M9 in my waist band and unsheathing the sword, I am about to step out but stop to put on the helmet. I definitely want the helmet on incase Duane manages to surprise me with the shovel. Entering through the wide-open door and not hearing any walkers I proceed to close the door and do a quick search for any threats through out the house. All is clear so I start by looking for bags or other containers to hold what I scavenge. My priorities are food, water, medicine, toiletries, clothes, camping gear and hand tools. I don't have any firearms in the house as Lori would not allow it. Damn that is weird when I get rick's memory flashes. For clothes I am taking any thing that will provide protection from bites and scratches for myself, Lori and Carl. You won't see me fighting walkers with bared arms. After changing into fresh clothing with a belt to hang the scabbard and droping my loot by the front door, I take a break to drink some water and eat stale Corn Flakes.

Returning from dropping my first load of loot into the Humvee I catch movement out of my left eye. Looking over my left shoulder I see the walker in the blue suit only to be smacked in the head by a shovel. Duane can be one sneaky little bastard, thank god for the helmet. "Ow, Stop that Duane" Slowly getting up I hear a gunshot, raising my hands in surrender I turn to face an angry Morgan.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Who are you, where did you come from and how do you know my son's name?" Morgan yells at me while pointing the pistol in my face.

"Rick Grimes, from the hospital and before you ask, I was shot in the line of duty not bit."

"As for how I know your names, this is going to sound crazy but I have lived this before."

Morgan seems to be momentarily stunned so I continue speaking.

"Perhaps we can continue this conversation some where safer as the gun shot as well as my driving here will be sure to attract Walkers." "Oh, and as a sign of trust, other than the obvious sword I also have a pistol at my back."

"You move a muscle and I will kill you where you stand"

Morgan then motions Duane to take the pistol from me. Once he has Duane bring him the pistol, he motions me to lower my hands. I do so while making sure to keep them away from the sword. I ask that I be allowed to finish loading the Humvee before we leave. Morgan agrees to my request and even tells Duane to help me while he continues to cover me with his pistol.

Once the Humvee is loaded, I awkwardly climb in to the driver's seat. I am going to have to get used to wearing a sword and scabbard. Morgan climbs into the back with his son while keeping me covered with the pistol.

"So, shall I head over to Fred and Cindy Drakes place?" Morgan gives me a strange look.

"Oh, right that would be the house you are staying in." Morgan looks concerned but motions me to head out.

Arriving at the house I drive up the driveway and park by the garage behind the house. Once inside Morgan has me remove the sword and scabbard placing them on the floor by the door. Now that I am unarmed Morgan seems to relax somewhat but he is still cautious of me. Sitting at the table as requested Morgan ask me to explain my comment about living this before. He starts to make something to eat while waiting for me to start my explanation.

As I said before this is going to sound crazy but then again, the dead are reanimating and trying to eat the living so I hope you give me the benefit of the doubt. I was shot before this all happened and was in a coma. I am not sure if it was a dream, nightmare or a vision but I woke up in the hospital not knowing what was going on. I must have been in shock as I chose to ride a bicycle to where you found me only wearing my boxers and a hospital gown. After checking the house for my family, I came outside and sat on the stairs. I was waving at the man in the blue suit not knowing what a walker was at the time when Duane wacked me in the face with a shovel. We eventually came here and you explained what had happened while I was in a coma. You told me about your wife who showed up outside after the car alarm goes off. The next morning, we went by my house to get me some clothes and I said I knew my family was alive at some point as the family pictures were taken. You agreed as Jenny did the same while you were packing for survival.

We then went to my sheriffs dept. to have a hot shower and clear out the weapons locker. I left for Atlanta to search for my family but you stayed here. You were going to follow me in a couple of days but that did not happen. I did not see you again until next summer but you had lost your mind in grief as Duane got bit and you had to put both your wife and him down shortly after I left. Apparently, you and Duane were out looking for food when he came upon his mother and was unable to put her down. She bit him before you could stop her and after putting them both down you went crazy. My Vision if you will, went on for a couple of years after that where I tried to keep myself and my group alive.

When I woke up from my coma this morning everything seemed to be happening again. I decided to take advantage of my apparent future knowledge to try not to make the same mistakes. Thus, I scavenged through part of the abandoned military camp in the hospital parking lot for my weapons and the Humvee. I am willing to put your wife to rest if you are still not ready to do it yourself. I hope you will join me as I could use your help. Provided what I have done does not change things, you will have proof when the blue sedans' alarm goes off and your wife tries to open the door using the knob.

We ate in silence as they both seemed stunned at my tale. After dinner Morgan decided that we should rest and wait to see if my prediction came true. While waiting I was thinking of what to do next. Well let's see who from the Atlanta group is even worth trying to save at the risk of my own life.

Lori is a selfish bitch whom betrayed Rick/me and I have no real connection to.

Carl has potential if he can learn to follow the rules.

Shane is power mad and has betrayed Rick/me, he and Lori deserve each other.

Dale does not appear to have what it takes to survive in the new world.

Jim is a mechanic and could be useful.

Andrea has potential if she can control her emotions and learn to follow orders.

Morales could be an asset

T-Dog would be good to have on my side

Merle would be an asset if he can stay clean and work with others but it is probably better if he dies.

Daryl and Glen are a definite yes, I want to have then with me.

Amy, Jacquie and the others I don't know as they died to early.

I am brought out of my contemplation by the sound of the car alarm. Morgan tells Duane to get the lights and then wait on the bed as he heads to the window to check on the source of the alarm. He then moves to the peep hole of the door and looks out for several minutes. Walking away form the door while the knob is turning, he comes to me and hands me back my pistol. Joining his son on the bed he looks at me in bewilderment.

"Well it seems you were telling the truth, we will have to discuss this in the morning, good night Rick."

"Good night Morgan, Duane."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The following morning over breakfast I ask Morgan if he and his son will join me this time. He agrees as long as I help him put down his wife. Sighing in relief I suggest discussing our situation in order to come up with a plan. In regards to his wife I offer to give her mercy using my sword if it can be done safely. Morgan agrees to this but asks me to give him a general overview of my vision of the future. I proceed to tell him briefly about Atlanta all the way through to the war with the Saviors. I admit I made many mistakes and hope we can do better this time. After explaining in more detail how he setup the defense of the town, I ask how he learned his skills. He told me about serving in Iraq and also learning from his father who served in Vietnam.

Here is what I am thinking, we deal with your wife then head to my station for a hot shower. We can empty the gun cage, go through the evidence lockup and search the rest of the building for anything useful. We can even use the pistol range in the basement to teach Duane how to safely use a pistol. After the station I would like to go back to the military camp to scavenge more stuff like the fifty-caliber machine gun and ammo I saw. Hopefully with your military knowledge you can identify what the sealed crates contain so we don't have to open them to find out. There is even a Stryker APC their if you know how to operate it. Morgan shakes his head saying he was not trained on the Stryker. We could replace your Landcruiser with another Humvee if you like as well. I f we have enough time before dark we can also stop at a few places in town like the hardware store for bolt cutters etc. Finally, we can return here for the night before heading to Atlanta.

"The plan seems fine but aren't we going to be late to Atlanta? You said you left this afternoon in your vision."

"True but that is one of the many things that make little sense from my vision. It took me days to reach Atlanta and I ran out of fuel twice which makes no sense." "Even if I blame Duane for giving me a concussion, thus causing me to take the police cruiser with out checking for fuel." "Just kidding Duane." "Anyway, with the off-road capabilities of our vehicles and full fuel tanks we should have no problem getting there in time."

We gathered up all our stuff and brought it to the back door to be loaded into the vehicles. Checking through the windows for walkers, the only one in sight is sitting against the fence post at the end of the driveway. I guess it is time for me to kill my first walker. Slipping out the back door as the front door is boarded up, I head down the driveway with my sword ready. The walker gets up as I approach moaning and gnashing its teeth. I hesitate for a moment as it really hits me that this is not a TV show. The fear and stench almost overwhelm me before I react driving the tip of my sword under its chin and up into the brain. The body drops like a puppet with its strings cut almost pulling the sword out of my hands. I manage to keep hold of the sword and make note to keep a better grip on it in the future. I am about to scabbard the sword when I notice the blood etc. on the blade. Wiping the sword off on the walker's clothes I remind myself to keep a rag handy from now on. With Morgan's help we move the body out of the way and the we load up the vehicles. Once loaded I give Morgan my spare M4 carbine and M9 pistol with two magazines each. Leaving Duane at the house to start digging a grave, Morgan and I head out to find his wife. It did not take long to locate her as she did not stray far from the house. She was with a few other walkers shambling along the next street over. Between Morgan's bat and my sword, we made quick work of the walkers. I took care of Jenny from behind stabbing up from the base of the skull. We grabbed a sheet from a nearby clothes line and wrapped her up before carrying her back to the house for burial.

Once the Joneses' were ready, we drove to the sheriff's station where I opened the compound gate and Morgan drove both vehicles inside. Closing and locking the gate we then proceeded to enter the station using my keys to the back door. We cleared the station room by room so as not to be surprised by any walkers or people. Once it was deemed safe, we grabbed some clean clothes and took a blessedly hot shower. Now clean we headed to the gun cage divided the weapons and ammunition evenly into two duffel bags. I suggested we do the same with all our supplies between our vehicles in case we had to abandon one of them. Morgan agreed that it was a good Idea, after going through the lockers to grab any police gear, I showed him the range and left him teaching Duane how to safely handle a firearm. I raided the lunchroom and vending machines for any food and drinks to be had, then I went through the Evidence lockup for any thing of use. Taking a buck knife, broom handle and a couple of hose clamps I made a spear for Duane. With the water still working, I filled whatever containers were available while waiting for Morgan and Duane to finish.

Once they were done, I gave Duane his spear which brought a smile to both their faces. I told Morgan we should probably find something better than a bat for him as well. After adjusting the supplies, we reloaded the vehicles. Damn we are running out of space, hopefully we can acquire a trailer or bigger vehicle. The last thing to do was go through the cruisers and grab the flares, spike strips etc. We were just about to leave for the military camp when deputy basset shambles up to the gate.

"Morgan should we let Duane try out his spear?"

The father and son have a quick conversation before Morgan motions me to open the gate. I open the gate and fall back to cover Duane with Morgan. Duane steps up and drives the spear up under Leon's chin dropping him. Unfortunately, the spear is pulled out of his hands as there is little to grip to on the broom handle. Pulling out the spear I hand it back to Duane and suggest wrapping some duct around the handle for grips. After stripping Leon of his belt, pistol and vest we head out for the hospital.

Arriving at the military camp the three of us cautiously make our way to the tents dispatching the few walkers with melee weapons while Morgan points out crates we will want to grab. It seems the tents I did not check were the living quarters for the troops.

Once again, we grab any thing of use and put it into the former occupant's duffel bags. Primarily we acquired military clothing, boots, batteries, weapon cleaning kits etc. Do to all the supplies we have gathered Morgan decides to take a Humvee as we need the space. He selects a Humvee with a weapon mount and has Duane start transferring their stuff from the Landcruiser to it. Mean while we removed the M2 50 Cal from the helicopter and mounted it on his Humvee. Leaving Duane to his task Morgan then directed me to help him with the crates we were going to need. We managed to scavenge some more small arms ammunition and magazines but not nearly enough. The best finds were Claymores and fragmentation grenades, followed by CS and smoke canisters. We even found a crate with spare barrels for the M2 and a couple of radios with charged batteries.

Packed and ready to go as more walkers were coming, Morgan quickly ran into the headquarters tent to grab a map, I am sure he will tell me why later. Next stop is the hardware store for bolt cutters, pad locks and chain followed by the auto store for steering wheel lock bars and Jerry cans etc. for fuel siphoning. The last stop in town was at the grocery store for what ever food or medicine we could scavenge. We have been lucky with the lack of walkers around, most of the people must have evacuated to Atlanta. Having spent most of the day gathering supplies we finally headed out of town for Atlanta.

I have to concentrate on Rick's memories in order to know which way to go as I personally do not know my way around Georgia. My memories of the TV show won't help much either as it had conflicting information as King County is supposed to be just north of Atlanta but the radio call places them near highway 8 and Interstate 85. That would put me southwest of Atlanta near the Alabama border. Then again in this universe the highway numbers may be different from my own.

With darkness approaching I begin looking for a place for us to hunker down for the night. Selecting a small farm house barely visible from the road, I make my way to a spot where we can park out of view of the main road. Once geared up and at the front door Morgan and I begin our clearing routine by knocking lightly on the door and waiting to see or hear if any walkers or people respond. All is quiet so I try opening the door which is unfortunately locked. Before I can stupidly try and break it open Morgan coughs and holds out a key, he apparently found under a flower pot on the window sill. Sheepishly I grab the key and unlock the door. Quietly we clear each room looking anywhere a walker might be in hiding as I know there are different types of walkers. The only roller, ha-ha, we found was an old lady in a wheel chair locked in the bathroom. I gave her mercy with the sword, she appears to have died of natural causes or the initial disease as she had no bite marks. Now that the house was clear we had Duane come in so we could setup for the night. The three of us would each take a watch with Duane going last as he can sleep while we drive.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

While on watch I pondered over how I wanted to proceed into the future. Heading straight to the quarry seemed to be the best option at this point. While the M2 Browning and ammunition along with the M939 cargo truck would be useful, they are not worth the risk of entering Atlanta for. Hopefully the scavenging party will be okay with out me coming in and making a ruckus like in the show. Although I don't see how Rick was responsible for the department store being surrounded as he made all that noise several blocks away which should have drawn the walkers to him and not the store. I can always consider a rescue attempt if they still get pinned down again due to Merle.

Once we reach the Quarry I will need to confirm if Lori and Shane are Bumping Uglies as Merle would say. If they are then I will let Shane have her, hopefully then Shane won't be a problem for me. However even before that I need to take charge so I can set some rules and improve the security of the camp until we leave for the Greens' farm. When we get to the farm I will need to discuss with Morgan and possibly Merle to see if it is defensible or if we should find a better location. While the prison is an option it has drawbacks, no heat for the winter for one and I would like to avoid the Governor if possible.

I really hope I can keep everyone alive from the quarry and the farm as we need people to form a lasting community. Hell, who knows what skills the unknown people from the quarry possess. What we really need is some place like Alexandria but nearby as I don't really want to have to go to war with the Saviors. I wonder if Wiltshire Estates is around here like in the comics, although I am not sure if we could clear it. Oh well I will have to talk things over with Morgan over breakfast. Completing my watch, I wake Morgan for his turn, then go to sleep.

The next morning over breakfast Morgan and I talk things over and agree on going straight to the quarry in hope that my vision holds true. We will also keep an eye out for a good place to setup a community. I also suggest we look for a sporting goods store and a bicycle shop. Morgan is curious as to why a bicycle shop, so I explain that some mountain bikes with saddle bags would be good quiet way to get around in towns or cities when scavenging.

After breakfast we continue our journey to the quarry, using Rick's memories I manage to get us to the wreck where rick fist stopped for fuel. This is a good thing as we should be able to get some diesel fuel from the white semi-tractor. I ask Morgan to do that while I keep an eye out for any walkers. I feel no need to go looking for the little girl walker and will only deal with her if she comes after us. When Morgan is done, we continue driving towards the quarry. Reaching the area, I believe the quarry is located I stop and ask if Morgan's map has its location as I am not sure exactly where the quarry is. Morgan sadly informs me that is does not as it is too large a scale. He grabbed it because of the military unit locations marked on it figuring they could be good places to check out.

Deciding the best way to find it is with a local map we head out looking for a near-by gas station which will hopefully have a map. It took a few hours and two gas stations but we finally found a map which will lead us to the quarry. Following the map, we reach the entrance to the quarry and begin to slowly drive up the access road. Approaching the end of the road I see Dale on top of the RV checking us out with his binoculars. I have got to remember to look for more binoculars while out scavenging. A large group of people have assembled to greet us as they probably think we are the military here to save them. Getting out of my Humvee I keep a close eye out for the reactions of Shane and Lori to my arrival. Hearing a shouted "Dad!" I fall to my knees overwhelmed by Rick's memories of his son, grabbing Carl in a hug I notice the look shared by Shane and Lori before she comes to join in the hug. The rest of the group appears confused or apprehensive as it is now obvious, we are not the military here to save them.

Looking around I don't see Glen, the rest of the scavenging group or Daryl. It looks like we got here on the same day as before. Getting up from the hug and keeping my left hand on Carl's shoulder I wave to everyone with my right hand, leaving Lori somewhat upset at my separation from her. "Hi every one I am Rick Grimes and my friends are Morgan and Duane Jones." Pointing in turn to each person I name them. "Dale, Amy, Shane, Jim, Ed, Carol, Sophia, Morales' wife and kids." "The rest of you I don't know as you were not in my coma dream." With them staring at me in shock I continue, "I assume that Glen, Andrea, Jacqui, Morales, T-Dog and Merle are in Atlanta on scavenging run and that Daryl is out hunting." I am greeted with stunned silence which is not all that surprising considering my statements.

"Can someone please tell me if I am correct about the group in Atlanta and if they have called for help over the radio?" "Hello, snap out of it and answer me damn it." Dale finally replies that they are in Atlanta but have not called for help. "Good then hopefully I won't have to rescue them from being surrounded in the department store". "I understand that you are all confused and I am willing to explain but we need to improve the security of the camp if you want to live." Shane of course take offence to this and states they have not seen any geeks up here. "I had a vision of living the next few years while I was in a coma, so far it seems to be mostly correct as I knew where to find your camp, about the scavenger group in Atlanta and the names of most of your group." "The reason I don't know the others is they died when geeks as you call them attacked tomorrow night." Once more there was stunned silence until one of the unnamed men asked what they should do.

"We need to move all the tents close to the edge of the quarry to limit the direction of any attack. Then we need to use the vehicles as a barrier to protect the camp. Everyone should carry a knife, hatchet or some other melee weapon to defend yourself with. To kill the walkers as I call them, you have to damage the brain. The best way is stabbing up under the chin or through the back of the neck up into the brain thus avoiding having to get through the skull. Fire arms are to be used only as a last resort as they attract other walkers from miles around. Don't get bit or you die and turn into one of them unless the area can be amputated immediately. Those of you who are willing to listen to myself or Morgan's advice and can safely handle a fire arm will be given one after the camp has been reorganized. Once it is safe to do so I would like to sit down and explain my vision and discuss our next course of action with those of you who are willing to work with me."

"Shane could you join Lori and I for a private conversation?"

"Carl you can stay and listen but we will be talking about adult matters which you will not like, the choice is yours as I don't want to hide anything from you."

"I would rather hang out with Sophia and have you tell me what I need to know later if that is okay Dad."

"Sure, Carl just stay in camp and maybe see if Duane will join you. Don't go off anywhere without an adult."

"Lori, Shane, please come with me to my Humvee so we can talk and I can give you the clothes I brought from home for you and Carl.

"Okay Lori I am just going to lay it out here, from the looks on your faces when I arrived, I am going to assume my vision was correct and you two are fucking each other. I feel betrayed that you would do this so quickly after my apparent death. I know our marriage was failing before I was shot so I now consider us divorced. I hope you and Shane are Happy together, because if my vision is correct you are carrying Shane's child."

"As for you Shane, I once considered you my brother but no longer do so for the obvious reasons. I am willing to work with the both of you for Carl's sake, but you have to understand that I will not accept either of you trying to undermine my decisions with the group. If you can't deal with that, then I suggest the two of you head out on your own. Carl stays with me as you can't be trusted to look after him properly, what with your sneaking into the woods to fuck and leaving him unsupervised."

Handing Lori the bags of clothes I head off looking for Carl to make sure he is following the rules. Good he is sitting with Duane and Sophia getting to know each other over by the RV. It seems most of the people are working on reorganizing the camp. I see that Ed is being a lazy asshole just sitting on his car seat. Looking around I find Carol folding Laundry, I make my way over to her for a quiet conversation.

"Carol, I know about Ed abusing you and if you want my help just ask. I know you are a strong capable woman. You don't need Ed, Shit in my vision you save us all from a group of cannibals. If you like I can tell you about my vision as it pertains to you. Hopefully you can make the changes required before you lose Sophia."

Helping Carol fold laundry, I proceed to tell her how she became the kick ass woman in my vision. She is concerned that Sophia is going to die like in my vision, but I tell her that I have made changes for the better and she can too.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After folding laundry with Carol, I make my way over to the kids and ask them to help me setup the tent I grabbed from our family home. The four of us take little time in putting the four man tent up as Morgan directs the others in how to place the vehicles for our defense. I tell Carl that if he wants to stay with me, he needs to move his stuff to my tent. With Carl heading off to get his stuff and Duane doing the same for Morgan and himself, I take this opportunity to speak with Sophia.

I warn her about what could happen if she runs off alone and remind her that she needs to stay with an adult who can defend her until she can do it herself. I tell her that I plan to teach the kids to defend themselves as soon as we have a chance. Lastly, I let her know she can come to me if she or her mom needs help with her dad.

As it appears it will be getting dark soon, I wonder about the scavenging group. Making my way to Dale I ask him when they are expected to return. He informs me they are not expected until tomorrow afternoon as Glen normally hikes into town and spends the night before coming back the following day. So, it appears I arrived a day earlier than I thought, and explains why no was concerned about leaving a vehicle behind in Atlanta on the show. Talking with Dale I learn who has been taking watches and how they are being done. Learning it is usually just a single person with the rifle concerns me, apparently Shane will not give up his shotgun or pistol for anyone else to use on watch.

Gathering those who stand watch except for Shane who is not around, I explain we need at least two people on watch at all times. Confirming that they can safely handle a shotgun before handing them out, I disperse the 6 shotguns from the police station. I also hand out the few hatchets and machetes looted from the hardware store reminding them to use the guns as a last resort. Setting up a two man watch schedule where one person is on the RV and the other patrols the vehicle perimeter, we head our separate ways. Someone will have to inform Shane whenever he returns with Lori from wherever they went to deal with my revelations.

Sitting at the central fire pit after dinner I begin my story of how I came to be here.

"Disoriented, uhm yeah, disoriented that is the best description of how I felt after waking up from my coma dream. It was and is very strange having apparently lived through this once before. I am also not able to remember most of what happened before I was shot, I get flashes of memory if I concentrate on remembering something particular. So far, my coma dream or vision if you will has been fairly accurate to this point, although I have successfully made changes to improve our situation."

"For example, I originally separated from Morgan which ended up with Duane being bitten by his mother. That can no longer happen as we gave her mercy and buried her, thus proving that I can make changes to how I remember things playing out. The vision has allowed me to be better prepared to deal with the world as it is now, so hopefully I can avoid the same mistakes I made in my dream life. I arrived here a day earlier than in the dream along with Morgan, Duane and two vehicles full of scavenged supplies. While in my dream life I arrived in Atlanta on horseback tomorrow morning, only to be surrounded by walkers and down to my last bullet."

I continued with a brief description of how things played out in my vision before getting up to stand my watch for the evening. Most of the people left the fire for their tents when I stood up, probably to reflect on my story. After an uneventful watch I made my way to my tent to get some well-deserved rest.

The following morning at breakfast I was bombarded with questions. "I can't understand what most of you are asking when you all speak at once. Choose one person to speak for all of you and make a list of questions for me, then I will try and answer them after lunch." Taking the time after breakfast, I sit Carl down and explain the situation between his mother, Shane and myself. I let him know he needs to grow up fast and be more responsible if he wants to learn how to safely handle and carry a pistol. I tell him I will make a spear like Duane's' for him as soon as I can, so he can defend himself.

"What about Sophia dad?"

"I will make one for her and any of the other kids that stay with us as well"

I should probably make one for myself considering I don't really know how to use my sword properly. Catching Duane's attention, I ask him to teach Carl and any of the other kids who want to learn how to handle the spear. After watching the kids for a while to make sure they are being careful, I make my way over to the ladies to see if I can be of help. I want to make sure that I do not act like a male chauvinist as I want the women to support my leadership. Besides I don't care what gender you are or the color of your skin, only that the person contributes to the group.

They thanked me for asking and let me know they had things in hand for the moment. Carol spoke up as I was about to leave, asking if Morgan and I had any food to contribute as they were running low. I apologized for not thinking of this myself and let her know I would bring some of our supplies from the Humvee's. It is good to see that carol is trying to become more assertive, I hope she can become the warrior I know without losing Sophia.

After eating lunch Dale spoke up stating he was selected to ask the question for the group. I nodded and motioned him to start.

"What can you tell us about the attack on the camp?"

"It took place tomorrow evening as you were eating a dinner of fish caught by Amy and Andrea. Amy went to the RV to use the washroom and was attacked when she came out. No one seemed to be on watch as a large number of walkers attacked the camp without warning. Daryl, Glen, T-dog and myself were not here as we went into Atlanta to get Merle and the bag of guns I dropped when I was swarmed. We got back in time to finish off the walkers but not before several of you were dead or bitten including Amy and Jim. I am not sure who died or chose to leave the group the following morning as my vision was not clear on that. I am not sure when or if an attack will still happen as things have changed due to our actions. I did not go into Atlanta and stir up the walkers, nor has Glen driven a car with the alarm blaring back to camp so far today. We will just have to stay alert and be prepared to defend ourselves."

"What did you learn at the CDC?"

"This was all caused by a virous which reactivates the lower part of the brain and brainstem after death leaving an animated corpse. The walkers are driven by an instinctual need to eat flesh, some are smarter than others but they are no longer who they once were. This is happening all over the world and there is no cure. We are all carriers of the disease, if you die without brain damage you will turn into one of them. Being bitten seems to cause the virous to activate thus killing and then reanimating your body. I am not sure if scratches do the same thing but I don't think so. In my vision myself and others have gotten walker blood in the face and open wounds with out dying but it would be better not to take any chances."

"What do you know about walkers and how to deal with them?"

"They seem to come in several varieties, the most common being the type that roams around either individually or in groups in search of food. Then there are the ones that lye in wait like they are sleeping until food comes near. The last and most dangerous are the ambushers, they seem to be quiet and wait in hiding to surprise attack you. As I said before some are smarter than others. I have seen one try to open a door using the nob, others use rocks to bash open windows and some are capable of climbing obstacles. Alone or in small numbers they are fairly easy to deal with, they are only a real problem in confined spaces or when they form a heard."

"Walkers are attracted to noise, movement, fire and the smell of the living. The only way to put them down permanently is to damage the brain. The best way to deal with them is to avoid them if possible or take them out with melee weapons as quiet as possible. Shooting should be your last resort as the noise attracts them from miles away. You can distract them with noise or fire, for instance using a vehicle horn and driving slowly to draw them away. If you find yourself surrounded you can cover your clothes with walker blood and guts and slowly shamble away from them, at least it worked in my vision."

Before Dale can ask the next question, we hear the garbled radio call from T-dog. I am guessing Merle still got high and started shooting from the roof top. Amy starts to freak out and Shane finally makes an appearance to say they knew the risks and we should not try and help them. I however state I am willing to try and rescue them if one or two people will join me.

"I have a plan and can use someone who can operate a front-end loader as well as two other drivers. I need someone to drive us close to where they are so that we can get to the construction site nearby. I can use my bolt cutters to gain access to the fenced in area where there is a pickup truck, cube van and a front-end loader. We can use the pickup to draw the walkers away, then the front-end loader to clear any stragglers followed by backing the cube van up to the loading dock.

The older couple, Peter and Olivia with the compact SUV volunteer to help as he knows how to operate a front-end loader and she can drop us off. A young man named Roger offers to drive the cube van as he used to work for a delivery company, which leaves me to draw the walkers off with the pickup truck. Before leaving I ask Morgan and Duane to keep an eye on Carl and check that my radio can use the same frequency as the Atlanta team. Once I am satisfied that we are properly dressed and armed with melee weapons I climb into the SUV so that Olivia can take us to Atlanta.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Approaching Atlanta, I try the radio to see if we can contact the scavenging group. "Hello, T-dog, Glen, can anyone hear me?"

"Yeah, who is this?" is heard over the radio by what sounds like T-dog, followed quickly by "Ah, yes who are you" which sounds like Glen.

"My name is Rick and I am with Peter, Olivia and Roger from the quarry. We got a garbled message from T-dog about being trapped in the department store. We are on our way to try and help, but why are you both answering the radio if your together?" A god-awful racket comes over the radio as both T-dog and Glen try to respond at the same time. Waiting a moment, I try to talk only for the noise to get worse as all three of us talk over each other. Finally, after several attempts I manage to get through.

"T-dog, please explain your situation and say Over when you are done speaking". "Then you do the same Glen, Over". With that sorted out T-dog responded. "Merle went crazy up on the roof and started shooting the rifle which drew Geeks to surround the store thus trapping everyone but Glen in the building. When we got to the roof and confronted him, Merle attacked us yelling racial slurs and threatening to shoot me. Andrea pulled her pistol and pointed it at Merle saying he got them all killed, but she failed to shoot him. Merle then tried to shoot Andrea but hit and killed Jacqui when I reached for the gun. Merle was momentarily shocked at what he had done and this gave Morales a chance to hit him in the head with the discarded rifle. While Merle was unconscious, we dragged him over to a metal pipe support and used a chain and padlock to secure him to it. Then I tried to radio the camp but got no response until now. Over."

"I left the others in the store to scout around the area. I heard the gun shots and tried to get back to the store but it was surrounded and I was forced to hide out in a building the next block down. How do you plan to help? As I have not figured out a way to save them myself. Over"

"Glen, we are coming down I85 and Olivia is going to drop the three of us off so that we can try to help all of you. My plan is to get into the construction site down the road from the store and use the vehicles inside to rescue the group from the store. I will take the pickup truck and draw off the walkers by making noise using the horn. Peter is then going to use the front-end loader to clear away as many stragglers as he can, finally Roger is going to use the cube van to back up to the loading dock rollup door. T-dog your group will need to be ready to open the rollup doors and jump into the van when Roger gets there. Glen can you get to the military check point with the tank, cargo truck and Humvee? Over."

"Yes, but why? Over"

"I don't have time to explain why I know this but if you can get into the tank through the open escape hatch in the floor and kill the one geek inside, you can grab the pistol and a grenade. I will come to get you in the pickup truck. If we have time, I would like you to help me grab the machine gun and ammunition from the sandbag emplacement before we leave for the quarry. T-dog did you copy that? Over"

"Yes, we will be… Arrgh! Get her off me" That sounded like Merle in the background, oh shit they don't know that if you die you turn. Jacqui must of turned.

"T-dog are you there? What is happening? Over"

"Sorry, Jacqui turned into a geek and was chewing on Merle so Morales had to shoot them with Merles pistol. Yes, the rest of us will be ready at the door, make sure Roger knocks and shouts so we know it is not geeks at the door. Over"

"Will do T-dog. Glen please guide us to the best spot for Olivia to drop us as well as which way to get to the back of the construction site if you can. Over" Following Glen's instructions, Roger and I lead the way and deal with any walkers on the trek to the construction site as Peter is having enough trouble just keeping up. Making it to the back gate of the construction site I use the bolt cutters to cut the chain so we can get in. Breaking open the lock box with the keys we find the three we are looking for. Before heading to our vehicles, I tell the others to make sure all our vehicles work before we drive out and to give me some time to draw the walkers away before they head to the store. Once we have confirmed via radio that everyone is accounted for head to I85 and we will stop in a safe spot so that Peter can leave the front-end loader behind. Surprisingly the plan went off with out a hitch. Glen even went into the tank and then helped me grab the M2 Browning machine gun with tripod and ammunition. It will make a fine defensive weapon for wherever we end up staying. Arriving back at the quarry I find Morgan and Duane in a standoff with Shane at gun point near the Humvees.

"What is going on here?

Morgan replies that Shane was going on about leaving for Fort Benning and was trying to get the weapons from the Humvees. I had to threaten to shoot him before he would stop. He has been saying you all were dead and that everyone should follow him as he has kept the camp safe all this time. Pointing my revolver at Shane, I demand he drop his weapon and raise his hands. If you don't, I will kill you here and now. Shane takes a long hard look at me and reluctantly complies. With Morgan and Duane still covering him, I handcuff him and take his shotgun, pistol and handcuff key.

"Tomorrow morning, I will remove Shane's handcuffs and he and anyone who wishes to join him can leave. The original quarry group can divide your resources as you see fit but no one takes any thing from the Humvees or the vehicles we just brought back. The scavenging group can decide what they want to do with the stuff they brought back. Merle and Jacqui are dead, but I will let the others explain what happened. Glen please stay with me a moment, the rest of you go back to what you were doing and we will discuss everything after dinner. Thank you for your cooperation"

"Glen you can keep the pistol as you have earned it but I would like to put the grenade away with the others in Morgan's Humvee as he has the training to safely use it. If you don't know how to handle the pistol, I will show you now so we can all feel safer with you carrying it." Glen agrees to my request and after handing the grenade to Morgan, we break down the machine gun and store it in my Humvee. I am just about to teach Glen firearms safety and how to handle his pistol when I remember that Andrea could benefit from this as well. Calling for Carl, I ask him to see if Andrea would like to join us to go over firearm safety and handling. Before he runs off to find Andrea, I tell him to ask her to bring her pistol if she is coming and that he can stay and learn as well. Carl returns shortly with both Andrea and Amy in tow and I spend the next hour going over what they need to know short of actually firing the weapons. That will have to wait until we can find a spot to do so safely. Just before they are about to leave me, I suggest they talk to others in the quarry to learn what I have told them about myself and my "vision".


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After Dinner most of the people gathered around the fire pit for the promised discussion. Making sure we still had a watch posted I made my way to the fire pit to answer more questions and say my piece. Dale once again stood up as a representative of the quarry group. "Well Rick, I was supposed to ask you several more questions before you went to rescue the scavenging party but I guess what we really need to know is what your plan is and why?"

"Fair enough, I was planning on leaving tomorrow afternoon for the Greene family farm with those of you who want to join me. I am hoping to be able to convince the people there to join up as they have 3 medically trained individuals and 3 able bodied younger persons whom can learn to fight. Living on a farm they have the skills and potential resources to help us start a lasting community. Whether they join us or not we will then have to look for a place to call home.

My group will have several options to consider before leaving the farm. While staying at the farm sounds good, I believe it is not defensible as it has no walls, weak fences and is open to attack from other survivors. The house is also too small for a large number of people. My vision also leads me to believe there is a bad group of up to 30 men in the area who would kill the men and children before using the women.

Then there is the prison which has been overrun but can be cleared in stages. This will be dangerous but has the upside of a large supply of nonperishable food. The building itself is strong but the fences can be overwhelmed by a large number of walkers. The downsides are it is a prison so it is not comfortable and will be hard to keep warm over the winter. We would also have to kill two prisoners who showed themselves to be a danger to the group in my vision.

Staying at either location leaves us at risk of running into the Governor and his thugs from the town of Woodbury. He is a psychotic leader who keeps the heads of his victims in fish tanks and sends his goons out to slaughter other survivors for their resources. In my vision the governor convinced his town that my group was a bunch of terrorists and manipulated them into attacking us at the prison. When his attack failed, he turned on his own people and killed most of them before running away. He eventually came back as the leader of a different group and drove us out of the prison using a tank. The last threat I know of in the area is the cannibals at the railway terminus. They try to lure people to them promising safety or capture small groups while out and about.

Oh, I almost forgot there is also a group of former cops based out of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. They drive around in vehicles with a white cross on them while scavenging for supplies. They try to run into and injure other survivors, kidnap them and bring them back to the hospital. Once there you will be healed by the doctor if possible and then forced into servitude to pay off your never-ending debt for being saved.

In my vision the surviving members of our group managed to find each other after being scattered in different directions following the fall of the prison. Making the long trek to Virginia for reasons my vision did not provide we ended up joining the community of Alexandria. It has strong walls, solar power and running water but most of the people are inexperienced in dealing with the world outside the walls. While a place like Alexandria is ideal the neighbors are a problem, primarily there is a large group of thugs known as the saviors ruled by a warlord type of guy named Negan. He uses his "army" to force the other communities in the area to pay tribute or be destroyed. There is also a gang or cult if you will that sees the walkers as the future of mankind and tries to kill survivors to turn them into walkers.

Ideally, I would like to find a place similar to Alexandria that is closer to us and start a community before the winter. It would need strong walls, room to farm crops and support livestock etc. Someplace that is defensible and capable of housing and supporting our group. If any of you know a possible location please let me know.

For those of you who decide to join Morgan, Duane, Carl and myself, you will need to be ready to leave after lunch tomorrow. Please let Morgan or I know by tomorrow morning if you will be joining us so we can figure out what vehicles to take from those available to us. We will then organize and distribute the people and resources in the most efficient manner. Just to be clear the shotguns I handed out for those standing watch will be coming with my group. Shane will be getting his weapons back before he leaves in the morning."

During my time standing watch, I ended up conversing with the members of the scavenging group as they all had questions about my "vision". I hope I managed to convince them to join me tomorrow morning. Hopefully I can take out that walker tomorrow morning before it gets to the deer as venison would make a fine meal for lunch. It would also probably improve Daryl's mood as well as improve my chances of convincing him to join us. Before heading to bed, I spoke with Morgan to ask him if he would keep an eye on Carl and the Humvees tomorrow morning while I try and beat the walker to the deer that should be arriving near camp. He agrees and then suggests we keep an eye on the Humvees tonight as he does not trust Shane or some of the others in camp. This makes sense to me, so I ask him to wake me when he needs me to take over the watch on our stuff.

As dawn breaks over the camp, I make my way over to wake T-dog as I need him to come with me to tell Daryl what happened in Atlanta. I also need a second person with me so as not to break the buddy rule I asked of the group not to mention Daryl does not know who I am yet. After much grumbling on the part of T-dog for being woken so early I explain why I need his help. We quietly make our way to the area I think the deer should be while listening for the sounds of a walker. Luckily, we have found the deer before the walker, but now have to wait for it and Daryl to show up. T-dog can't seem to keep quiet and keeps asking me questions about my "vision". I don't know how these people survived with their constant need to make noise while in the woods. Finally having enough of his questions, I turn toward him to motion him to be quiet. Seeing the expected walker just about to attack him from behind, I quickly lunge my sword by T-dog's left ear and into the walker's head. I will never forget the look on his face as he probably thought I was trying to kill him for being noisy. T-dog, now splashed with walker blood steps to the right and starts looking between me, the sword and the walker while panting in fear. Withdrawing my sword, I wipe most of the blood off on the walker before grabbing my rag to make sure it is clean. Tossing T-dog the rag I motion him to clean his face which he proceeds to do. While waiting for Daryl to arrive T-dog regains his composure. Hearing the bushes rustle we prepare our self's in case it is a walker and not Daryl. Daryl comes through the bushes and points his crossbow at me while yelling, "that's my deer and who the hell are you".

Lowering my sword, I reply, "My name is Rick Grimes and I know it is your deer, T-dog and I came out here to keep the walker from chewing on it". Daryl gives me the (what you talkin bout look) before lowering his crossbow. "I will help you with the deer and explain how I knew you were going to be here but first T-dog needs to explain what happened to Merle". Once T-dog has finished his explanation I motion him to step away while Daryl deals with his loss. When Daryl is ready, I assist him with gutting and skinning the deer as I have experience with this personally. While helping him I whisper my tale of the coma dream to him and let him know I want to earn his respect and trust so that we can be "brothers" again. This seems to catch him off guard but it appears he is considering it. When we are done preparing the deer, I ask Daryl if he would mind covering us while we carry it back to camp as he must be tired after chasing the deer down for so long. Getting a grunt of approval we make our way back to camp. Upon seeing the changes to the camp, Daryl nods towards me and asks "you're doing?"

"Yes, mine and Morgan's" to which he seems pleased. Leaving Daryl to butcher the deer, I grab Carl and some containers to head down to the lake with T-dog to wash up and bring water back to clean the meat. On our way down women's screams can be heard from the lake. Running the rest of the way down we come upon Carol repeatedly stabbing Ed in the chest with a knife. Leaving Carl with T-dog I slowly approach Carol and calmly say "I am pretty sure he is dead by now, either stab him in the head before he turns or let me do it". This seems to get through to her and she backs away from Ed. After dealing with Ed, I take Carol to the lake and help her clean up while confirming my suspicion that Ed struck her after an argument with the women. Apparently having had enough of his abuse Carol surprised him with the knife shortly before we arrived. With Carol now clean I motion Andrea and Amy to help her back to the camp and ask them to let the others know what happened. Quickly searching Ed's body, I grab the keys to the Jeep Cherokee before dragging him behind some rocks away from the water. Once done washing up, the three of us return to the camp with some water for Daryl. Dropping the water off with Daryl, I ask Carl to see if Duane and he can take down our tent while I check in with Morgan.

Morgan informs me of the following information.

Andrea, Amy, Jim, Dale and his RV are with us.

Now that Ed is out of the picture Carol, Sophia and the Jeep Cherokee are with us.

Peter, Olivia and their Suzuki Samurai are with us.

T-dog is with us but is leaving the church van with the people joining Shane and Lori.

Roger, his girlfriend Susan and their friend Miguel along with their Jeep Wrangler are with us.

Daryl has agreed to join us with his old ford pickup and Merle's motorcycle.

Morales is still taking his wife and kids to Birmingham to try and find their family.

Shane, Lori and the rest are going to try to reach Fort Benning using his Ford Explorer and whatever other vehicles they can scrounge up.

Thinking things through I propose the following vehicle allocation.

Peter and Olivia keep the Suzuki as it is nimble, off-road capable and easy on fuel.

Roger, his girlfriend Susan and their friend Miguel keep the Wrangler for the same reasons. One of them can ride in another vehicle if needed. We will have to try and find a replacement as the soft top concerns me.

Andrea, Amy & Dale can join Carol and Sophia in the Cherokee as it is off-road capable with a fair-sized space for storage.

T-dog and Jim can use the Ford pickup from Atlanta and Daryl can ride the Motorcycle or join us and Glen in one of the Humvees.

We can then either strip the cargo van, Daryl's old Ford pickup and the RV or leave them for the others. This will leave us with a reasonably maneuverable group of off-road capable vehicles thus limiting the amount of back tracking we will have to do. Morgan agrees that this sounds like a good plan and that we should gather everyone together to go over it, He also suggests we be prepared to defend ourselves and our resources. After explaining our plan to the rest of the group, the first one to complain is Dale.

"Dale your RV is to large to go around obstacles and uses to much fuel, not to mention you are always working on it because it breaks down. Your selfishness in this regard will put the rest of us at risk trying to acquire more fuel for that beast as well as the rest of our vehicles as we are forced to back track more often. If you insist on taking the RV, the first time we have to back track because it is the only vehicle that can't make it by an obstacle, I will leave it and you behind."

Getting surprised and some fearful looks from a few of the people I try to explain my harsh stance. "You people need to stop thinking like this is just a temporary problem and that the Government or Military is going to save you. We are on our own and if you want to survive you need to adapt to the world as it is. This means husbanding resources and being prepared to defend yourselves from both the walkers and even more so other survivors. I am not forcing any of you to join me but if you do, this is what you can expect. I am not a dictator and am more than willing to discuss options when time allows. If you don't agree with how I handle things you are free to go your own way. That being said please take a vote or whatever and decide what to do with the cargo van, Daryl's pickup? (looking to Daryl he gives me a nod) and the RV. Once that is done please distribute the resources as we discussed last night and pack up. After lunch those of you still with me should be ready to leave."

Removing Shane's handcuffs I return his weapons and wish him and Lori luck before going to check on Carl.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Finding Carl and Duane just finishing up taking down the tent, I help them bring our bedding etc. to be loaded in the Humvees. Pulling Carl aside we discuss the fact that his mother is leaving with Shane and the others. I admit to him that I pretty much demanded Shane leave as he was working against my leadership of the survivors. It is with great regret that I tell him that he can leave with his mother if that is what he really wants, as forcing him to stay with me will no doubt bite me in the ass down the road. Before I forget I dig out the sheriffs' hat from the Humvee and give it to him as he just doesn't look right without it.

Andrea comes looking for me to let me know that Dale will be leaving the RV for the others as he is pouting and would not tell me himself. She also lets me know Shane's group will strip the cargo van as they need the radiator hose for the RV. Our group is going to strip Daryl's old pickup as a lot of the parts can be used on the newer pickup. Before she walks away, she reminds me that I still need to teach her how to shoot properly. I smile and let her know I am looking forward to it. Being tired due to getting up very early this morning I head to the Humvee for a quick nap in the passenger seat.

Somewhat groggily I register Morgan nudging me in shoulder, apparently I was more tired than I thought. He informs me it is time for lunch and our group is pretty much ready to go except for Jim who is still pulling a few parts from the old Ford. Making our way to Jim, I ask him how much longer he needs? "About an hour is mumbled from under the hood". "That is fine Jim, why don't you take a break and join the rest of us for lunch. You can finish up after we eat and say our goodbyes". After enjoying our venison lunch and with everyone finished saying their goodbyes Shane and his group head out. Pulling my group together I am glad to see Carl has stayed with me, I lead them over to the old Ford pickup so Jim can finish his work while still able to listen to what I have to say.

"Okay folks I am going to lay down some ground rules for us going forward. If you have a problem with any of them or suggestions of your own, we can discuss them."

"First is the Buddy system, no one goes anywhere alone outside of a secured area unless absolutely necessary. I understand Daryl will need to go hunting alone unless one of us meets his standards to join him. Carl, Sophia and Duane, you need to be with an adult when outside a secure area".

"Second is at least two people will be on watch at all times. Watches will be shared among all of us as soon as we can train up those of you who need it."

"Third is that shooting guns is a last resort. Trying to keep quiet is our goal."

"Forth everyone will learn to use and carry a melee weapon to defend yourselves. We will also train anyone who wants to learn, how to safely handle, clean and shoot firearms".

"Fifth if we are ever separated, we will either head to a predesignated location or fall back the way we came in one-mile increments until you reach a safe spot to stop and wait. We will wait twenty-four hours for anyone to return to the group before moving on".

"Lastly for now at least, scavenging groups should consist of four persons when possible. Two to go inside a building with one scavenging while the other watches for danger and two outside to secure your vehicle and keep watch."

"While this is not a rule, I suggest that you try and take out any walkers who are carrying weapons or useful equipment that you can grab. For example, former police officers or soldiers. That being said does anyone have any concerns or suggestions?" Morgan steps forward and suggests we avoid other survivors until we can scout them out to learn if they are a threat. This is met with some grumbling mostly from Dale but everyone agrees to the rules.

"As soon as Jim is finished, we can head out for the Greene family farm. My "vision" places it a few miles down Fairburn road from Interstate 85 south east of Atlanta. Before it gets dark, we will try to find a building to hold up in overnight. "Daryl would you be willing to scout ahead on your motorcycle?" Getting a nod from Daryl I continue laying out the order of the vehicles. I will lead in my Humvee followed by the rest of you in this order, the Suzuki, Wrangler, pickup, Cherokee and finally Morgan's Humvee.

Getting Daryl and Morgan's attention I indicate they should join me near the Humvees. I ask Morgan to get out his map so we can plan our route and also make note of any military locations indicated on it we may want to check out. I ask Daryl to keep an eye out for any place we should stop to try and scavenge for food, water, fuel or weapons. I also suggest he keep an eye out for abandoned transport trucks with intact seals we can check out. Thanking Daryl for agreeing to be our scout, I offer him the use of a pistol, shotgun and or ammunition from our supplies. He grabs a shotgun and box of shells as well as box of bullets for his own pistol. With the group finally ready, Daryl leads the way on our trek to the Greene family farm.

With Daryl scouting our route we manage to avoid any major road blocks while using the capabilities of our vehicles to go around minor road blocks using the highway shoulders or medians. Unfortunately, we have had to get off the interstate and use secondary highways due to the number of abandoned vehicles blocking the ring road around Atlanta. Late in the afternoon Daryl comes back to let me know he has found an industrial building he thinks will work for the night. It is one of those two story warehouse slash office buildings which is carved up into several separate units.

Following Daryl, we arrive at the building and make our way to the furthest unit from the road. Morgan and I get out of the Humvees to assist Daryl in dispatching the few walkers roaming nearby. Using knowledge gained in my misspent youth I grab a pipe wrench to try and open the door by twisting the lock. Woo hoo it actually worked, tapping the door frame I wait to see or hear if any walkers are inside. Leaving Morgan to keep watch with T-dog outside, Daryl and I head inside to clear the building.

The small reception area is clear so we decide to check upstairs before taking on the warehouse section. Taking our time, we use the same procedure at each door finding no walkers just offices, a washroom and a lunchroom. Having cleared the upstairs, we make our way back down to the warehouse entrance to continue our sweep of the building. Opening the door, I am confronted with a large echoing dark space as the only light source is the open door. I motion Daryl to slide the receptionist's chair over so we can block open the door. Heading inside we quietly make our way to the closest rollup door so we can get more light in here. Sliding out the lock bar I grab the chain and start pulling to open the door and wincing at the amount of noise it causes. So far so good, we continue to the second rollup door in this unit and open it as well. Now that we have more light, we can see this is a janitorial supply business. Daryl and finish checking the warehouse section without any surprises, but I must say it was nerve racking with so many dark spots for walkers to hide. Stepping outside I quietly ask the others if they know how to operate a forklift. Miguel steps up to the task and drives the forklift outside and parks it blocking the front door at my request.

Now that the forklift is out of the way we can squeeze our vehicles inside for the night. Once that is done, I ask for volunteers to siphon gas from the few vehicles in this complex. Morgan, Andrea, Glen and Roger volunteer and head out with two jerry cans while the rest of us prepare to spend the night upstairs. Once the four of them return we close and lock the rollup doors as well as the window blinds downstairs. With the light fading it is decided that we will eat a leftover dinner of venison and check the place for useful items in the morning.

The next morning, we shared a meagre breakfast of stale cereal and water before starting our scavenging. I suggested people go through the office desks and take any aspirin, cold medicine or first aid supplies they find. I ask Jim to join me and Carl so we can grab the spare propane tanks for the fork lift and put them in the pickup bed. With Carl holding the flashlight we proceed to move the two full tanks to the truck. With that finished I ask Jim if he can spare four hose clamps so I can make a couple more spears using the readily available broom or mop handles here. Digging through his supply of parts Jim comes up with the clamps so we grab several broom and mop handles, leaving the spares in the truck bed we make our way to the reception area. Opening the window blinds, we now have enough light to work with so we can save the flashlight batteries. I send Carl to find Morgan to ask if he will give up his combat knife to make a spear for Sophia. While he is gone, I use my combat knife to make a spear for him. Carl returns a short time later with Sophia and Carol in tow, then proudly hands over the knife. With Carol's approval I construct a spear for Sophia and warn the kids about being careful before handing each of them a spear.

There was not much to scavenge but every little bit helps. Checking through the windows, it looks like the noise we made yesterday has drawn a few walkers. Talking it over with the group we decide to use this opportunity let some of the group get experience fighting walkers. Morgan, T-dog, Daryl and myself will backup Amy, Andrea, Carol and Susan. Roger and Miguel rolled up the doors and we attacked the walkers. The ladies were doing okay but had difficulty with hatchets and machetes getting stuck. While helping Amy with a rather large walker there was a sudden commotion behind us. Looking back, I see the kids using their spears to deal with one of those sneaky walkers who was hiding behind the forklift, I am glad we started training them so early. With the walkers dealt with we are now ready to continue our journey.

The morning passed without incident and only minor blockages to bypass. In the early afternoon Daryl came back from scouting to let us know the way ahead was impassable due to a large vehicle snarl a couple of miles ahead. However, he said there were several promising semi-tractor units we should check out. Quickly talking it over with the group, we decide to take the risk as we are low on food and fuel. Arriving at the edge of the snarl we turn the vehicles around so we can leave in a hurry if required. "Morgan and I will take the watch from our Humvee hatches and keep the kids with us while the rest of you pair up to scavenge from the vehicles. Just like with buildings, tap on a window before opening a door and make sure any body inside is truly dead and not playing possum. I suggest checking the cabs of the semi-tractors for food, drinks, GPS units and the cargo manifest to see if opening the trailer is worthwhile. T-dog and Jim please siphon diesel fuel for the Humvees using the jerry cans on the back. Thank you and be careful out there".

After an hour of scavenging we managed to fill up on fuel but there was not much in the way of food or water. The trailers were a bust as they did not contain anything of use to us but we did get a couple of GPS units, which should make finding Fairburn road easier. Hearing a low whistle from Morgan, I look back to see a large number of walkers coming down the highway towards us. I send the kids off to warn every one to get back to their vehicles. Stopping Miguel, I tell him to drive my Humvee so I can shoot from the hatch. Morgan sends Glen back along the vehicles to let every know that he plans to skirt the walkers down the right shoulder clearing the way with a few bursts from his machine gun. Daryl is cussing up a storm while transferring his stuff from the motorcycle to the pickup bed as he knows he can't safely ride it around the walkers. Morgan has Glen drive up the left side of the road trying to draw the walkers left as he rakes the right side of the group of walkers with the fifty Cal. Shortly before reaching the walkers they make a sharp right turn and head for the gap along the shoulder with the rest of us following right behind. Daryl and I use shotguns to take out any walkers getting to close, he from the pickup bed and myself using the hatch. It is a good thing we have the M2 Browning as even if you hit a walker's body it rips them apart, and usually more that one of them at a time. With out it we may have been trapped or forced to abandon the vehicles. Taking the first exit we quickly get as far from the incident as possible. After a couple of hours, we take a short break to regroup where upon I ask Peter and Olivia to temporarily ride in a Humvee so Daryl can use the Suzuki Samurai to scout. While none of the three are pleased with the plan they reluctantly agree. Using the GPS units, we now know exactly where Fairburn road intersects the Interstate. It looks like we should be able to make it there tomorrow morning.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

With darkness approaching we once again need to find a building to clear for the night. Daryl returns close to nightfall finally having found a small farm to spend the night. Clearing the building as quickly as possible in the fading light, the group moves in to spend the night. Waking to a scream and yelling from upstairs, it takes me a moment to get my bearings. Grabbing my sword, I check my immediate surroundings for a threat and not seeing one I make my way to the stairs and ask what is going on. Andrea comes down to tell me that Olivia was bit on the neck by a child walker that must have been hiding under the bed. "Daryl took care of it but now there is an argument over what to do about Olivia".

Heading upstairs I enter the room and shout, "Everyone calm down, Daryl please lower your crossbow. Olivia as you were bitten on the neck, we have no way to save you. However, we can't risk you turning and becoming a threat to the rest of us. You may have one of us end it now if you are in pain or spend what time you have left with Peter while tied to the bed and we will have someone do the deed right after you pass on. Please let us know how you want to proceed as quick as you can, we will wait outside the room for an answer". Fifteen minutes later Peter comes to the door and asks for a volunteer to end Olivia's suffering as they have said their goodbyes. Daryl steps up but I shake my head and ask for his pistol as both of mine are downstairs. I thank him for the offer but let him know as the leader I feel it is my responsibility at least this first time. Taking his pistol, I make sure a round is chambered before entering the room. Grabbing a pillow to muffle the shot I apologize to Olivia and say "rest in peace" before pulling the trigger.

Leaving the room, I am trying to hold back my emotions as this is the first time I have had to take a person's life. I ask Daryl to look after seeing to Olivia's burial and return his pistol before I make my way by him to head downstairs. Plopping myself down in an arm chair I try to focus on Rick's police training to help me deal with what I have just done. I must have zoned out as the next thing I register is someone handing me something to eat and letting me know we are ready to leave. I find myself being ushered into the back seat of my Humvee as I am still out of it. Some time later I am brought out of my funk by Daryl snapping his fingers in my face. "Rick, snap out of it we are at the Fairburn road exit and we need to now which way to go?" Thinking about it, I don't actually know but this should not be a problem. "I am not sure but it should be easy to find just look for a mail box with Greene written on it. It should only be a couple of miles from the Interstate so just check both directions. Daryl returns not long after saying he has found the mailbox and driveway. Before he walks away, I ask him to let everyone know to try and not look threatening.

Pulling up to the farm I can see Hershel toting a double-barreled shotgun, and his group on the porch. Slowly exiting the Humvee, I raise my hands and approach them. Hershel calls out "what do you want?" Time for me to lay out my spiel, "Hello Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Otis, Patricia and Jimmy. My name is Rick Grimes and I am here to try and save you due to a vision I received while in a coma." I am hoping my statement will play to Hershel's strong religious beliefs. "I am aware of who is in the barn and your belief that there is or will be a cure. I would like to speak with all of you about my vision to try and convince you to join my group so that we all have a better chance of surviving." Hershel lowers his shotgun but still appears wary of us. "May I lower my hands and have my people get out of their vehicles? We mean you no harm and you will see that I have women and children with me". Hershel agrees to my request and seems to relax a little when he confirms the makeup of my group.

I spend the next couple of hours explaining my "vision" to Hershel and his people making sure to point out the changes we have made for the better so far. I also let him know we have arrived earlier and with different people this time so things will not be the same. I stress that we have no plans to do anything to the infected in the barn as they may actually be acting as camouflage for the farm. Hershel asks me to join him to check on the well from my "vision" to see if there is an infected trapped inside. As we approach the well it is obvious I was correct as we can see the whole in the well cover. Helping Hershel remove the cover he looks down and confirms that part of my story at least. I ask him to let us spend the night in our tents so that he can take the time to discuss things with his people, to which he agrees. Lastly, I ask if we can use one of his other wells to stock up on water. Hershel nods his head and points out another nearby well. Leaving Hershel to figure out what he wants to do about the well, I head back to my people.

Returning to my group I let them know we can setup tents for the night and which well to use for water. I make sure to let them know not to bother Hershel or his family and not to take or use anything without permission. Gathering Morgan, Daryl and Glen I ask for their opinion on whether the farm is defendable. After some discussion we have all come to the conclusion my original assessment was correct. Even though this is not unexpected it will still make it harder to convince Hershel to join us and leave his farm. With that decided we break up to help setup the tents as well as other chores. Just as we are finishing the setup of our camp, Maggie and Patricia arrive with a couple of baskets of fresh produce for us. We are all very grateful and thank them profusely as we have been stuck eating whatever non-perishable food we could find.

After the meal the group gathers together to discuss our future plans. "Even if Hershel would allow us to stay Morgan, Daryl, Glen and I have come to the conclusion that we can not defend the farm nor is it large enough for all of us. If you disagree please speak up." With no one speaking against leaving the farm I continue, "I hope to have an answer from Hershel tomorrow as to if he will join us. Either way we will need to find a location we can secure for the winter at a minimum and gather the necessary resources to survive it. I propose the following division of responsibilities, Morgan for security due to his military training, Daryl for hunting and scouting due to his skills, Glen for scavenging as he has proven himself more than capable, and Jim to look after the vehicles as he is a mechanic. I would also like a volunteer to keep track of our resources and rationing. The floor is now open for any other proposals or discussion."

Some time later the group has come to the following agreement. Morgan, Daryl Glen and Jim in the roles I proposed with Peter in charge of any construction as he used to run a construction firm and knows how to operate heavy equipment. Susan volunteered to handle our resources as she used to work in planning at a logistics company along with Roger in deliveries and Miguel in the warehouse. Roger and Miguel have agreed to work with Glen while Andrea, Amy and Carol will work with Morgan and myself to learn how to defend themselves along with the kids. Chores and watches are to be shared among the group as people are available. Before the meeting ends Morgan assigns the watch schedule and we then break apart to finish what needs to be done before night fall.

The following morning Beth comes to ask me to join her family for breakfast as they have some questions for me. I agree and let carl know where I am going so, he can inform the others. Following Beth's lead, I am shown to the dining room and offered a seat which I gladly accept. Before eating the family says grace to which I participate out of respect for their beliefs. After the meal Hershel asks for more details about the infected as he calls them. I give him the details from the CDC and let them all know that everyone is infected. Hershel replies that if this is from a vision how can we be certain it is true, to which I explain about Jacqui on the roof in Atlanta.

"Think about it Hershel, even if someone miraculously comes up with a cure it will not help the infected in the barn as their bodies have rotted and are damaged beyond repair. They are no longer the people you once knew and are more like rabid dangerous animals, you need to adapt to the way things are before you and your family pay the price for your denial. In my "vision" your farm was overrun by a heard of them and only you Maggie and Beth survived with the support of my group fighting along side you. Things will probably play out differently as Shane is not here to cause problems and instigate the gunfire which probably attracted them, but sooner or later they will come as your cattle or lights will attract them. In my "vision" we spent all winter running around in circles trying to stay ahead of several herds of walkers before finding and securing the prison where you lost your leg. I am hoping you will join us so we can find a secure place like Alexandria from my "vision" with enough time to secure resources for the winter. Your farms' resources would be a good start as I hope to be able to secure horses, livestock, and crops for the future. Please take your time to really think this through, we will leave if you ask us to but we could really use your help and knowledge. Before I go is there a town nearby, I can send some of my people too so they can secure resources?" Maggie volunteers to take one person on horse back to town as she needs to pickup a few things herself. I agree to this even though it goes against our rules as I don't want to screw up Glen's chances with Maggie, I have purposely kept any relationships vague from my "vision" so as to not influence the others. "I will let Glen, the young Korean man, know to expect you."

Once outside I look for Glen to let him know what is happening. "Hey Glen I need you to go with Maggie into town as she has agreed to show one of us the way. I know this goes against our rules but we have to compromise with Hershel for now. Please take a look around so you can plan a return trip to scavenge for resources and of course grab what you can while there. Thanks Glen." With that out of the way it is time to help with the chores. Upon his return Glen was smiling and had a full backpack of goods from the Pharmacy.

Hershel and his family spent most of the day talking with the members of my group in an obvious attempt to gather information about myself and my claims. Late in the afternoon Hershel invited us to join his family for dinner even though it would be crowded. Daryl volunteered to stand watch along with Miguel as he would not be comfortable in such a large crowd. Carol, Susan and Amy offered to help with preparing the meal as we did not have much in the way of food to contribute. Hershel seemed appreciative as he led the ladies to the kitchen. It was a tight fit but we managed to seat everyone into the dining and living room for the fine meal we shared. With the meal finished and the dishes washed the small talk was interrupted by Hershel.

"Rick, I have thought over your words as well as those of your group and I am inclined to join our groups together but I am reluctant to abandon my farm. It has been in my family for over one hundred and sixty years so please explain your reasoning."

"We have discussed this ourselves and do not believe we can defend the farm from walkers as your fences would be forced open by even a small herd, while your home would be torn apart by a large herd like the one from my "vision". Your home is also too small to house all of us and anyone left outside would be vulnerable to walkers and the elements. There is also the problem of the farm being wide open to attack from other survivors whom could snipe at us from a distance or sneak up through the woods at the back of the house."

I go on to explain about Woodbury, Terminus, Grady Memorial and Randal's group all of which are a concern to us in this area. Next, I explain about the prison and describe Alexandria and my hopes of finding something similar closer than Virginia. Surprisingly Jimmy raises his hand for attention to say that he may know of a place. Apparently, some rich guy from New Orleans bought the old Wilkinson farm up past his family farm in 2006 after hurricane Katrina and has been building a walled mansion estate on the property. I ask Morgan to lay out his map to see if Jimmy can point it out for us. Jimmy takes a few minutes to figure out the location and points out a set of symbols, "it is right here but I don't know what these symbols mean." Morgan looks them over and tells us it was a Georgia National Guard company outpost which is noted as being overrun. Hershel has finally agreed to join us and we continue to plan a scouting trip to Jimmy's location for tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next morning Daryl and Morgan head off in the Suzuki to scout out the mansion, while Glen, Roger, Miguel and Maggie head back to town on a scavenging run. I get together with Hershel and our new group members to explain our rules and the need for them. Maggie will be informed by Glen on the way to town. With that out of the way, I ask what we will need, to transport and care for some of the farms' livestock as well as any thing else we will need for the crops, etcetera. Before we get to far into the discussion, I ask for brief break so I can bring Susan in as she has volunteered to look after our logistics. We then spent the rest of the morning planning our relocation and resource needs.

After lunch we helped out around the farm as requested by Hershel, to which no one complains as we have been eating well due to his generosity. The scavenging group returns in the early afternoon well stocked but with a distraught Maggie splashed in walker blood. Patricia and Beth take Maggie into the house while Glen explains about the walker in the pharmacy. He praises our rule about one scavenger and one guard as he may not have been quick enough to save her if he was scavenging himself. Continuing with the various tasks to be done, I am becoming concerned about Daryl and Morgan.

Just before dinner Jimmy calls out from his watch post in the upper balcony, "The Suzuki is coming back". Grabbing my M4 carbine I call out to jimmy to make sure it is them and not someone else in the vehicle. Scanning the vehicle with the binoculars for a couple of minutes he confirms it is them. Returning the M4 to the Humvee, I join the others as we wait for them to drive the rest of the way to us. Just as they are getting out of the Suzuki, we hear Carol call out that dinner is ready. With the exception of the watch standers we head inside for dinner and a report from our scouts.

When everyone has finished eating Morgan begins his report. "The place looks very promising but will take a good plan to safely clear as there are over two hundred walkers or more on the property. It looks like the military took over the place and used it as an outpost and evacuation site as there are both military and civilian walkers as well as FEMA trailers, military vehicles, and equipment inside. The gate is locked shut with a sign warning the place is overrun. The original farm buildings are still intact and the Mansion appears to be almost completed. The mansion and walls appear to have been designed to look like a medieval castle, we are not sure about the mansion but the wall is made of thick concrete with a stone facing and is twelve foot high. It looks like the military was trying to reinforce the site before it became overrun as some of the wall has razor wire and we saw more on cargo trucks inside. We could see what looked like solar panels and a couple of wind turbines on the property. I am guessing here but I think the owner was trying to build a fortified compound to retreat to if something like Hurricane Katrina happened again.

We spent the rest of the evening going over what they found in more detail and started to form a plan to takeover the place. The first step was to find an out of the way place to teach those who wanted to learn, how to safely handle and shoot firearms. Followed by teaching everyone how to fight with melee weapons. It was decided that we would spend up to a week training and scavenging for the resources we would need for our planed seizure of and relocation to the Mansion. Andrea and Carl took to shooting like naturals While Carol, Glen and Maggie seemed to be improving nicely, the others however were only adequate.

Six days later it was deemed time to execute our plan. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Patricia, Otis, Jimmy, Peter, Susan, Carol, Amy and the kids were to stay at the farm and be ready to head for the mansion. Myself, Morgan, Roger, Miguel, T-dog and Daryl would take the Cherokee and wait for Glen to open the gate and lead the walkers away in my Humvee with Andrea in the hatch trying to take out any walkers carrying useful equipment. After checking to make sure most of the walkers had left the compound from a nearby hill using the binoculars, we would then enter and begin clearing it of any stragglers using melee weapons.

We entered the compound in a wedge formation with myself at point, Morgan and Miguel to my right, T-dog and Roger to my left, Daryl would bring up the rear after closing the gate. Proceeding toward the farm house we deal with any walkers we can find in the large compound littered with vehicles, tents and trailers. There is a loud thump followed by a scream as Roger is pulled to the ground by walker from under a nearby trailer. It bites down on his foot before Daryl can put a bolt into its eye, T-dog drags Roger back and checks his foot before sighing in relief. Roger is lucky that he was wearing a pair of the combat boots Morgan and I scavenged. Continuing on we have a few more close calls before reaching the farm house. Working together and wearing the proper clothing has managed to get us through unscathed so far. Quietly looking into the windows, we find the house is packed with walkers. Backing off we take a break as we are tired, thirsty and need a plan before proceeding to tackle the house.

We waited for Glen and Andrea to return before taking on clearing the house. Daryl and I made our way to the front door, where I opened the door and took out the closest walker while Daryl shot the next one with his crossbow, we then ran off the porch to join the others in our battle with the walkers. We would fight them as they came out of the house and off the porch, giving ground as required so as to not be overwhelmed. The numbers were starting to favor the walkers until Miguel tripped and was swarmed. This distracted some of the walkers giving us the chance to thin the herd at the cost of poor Miguel. With the last of the walkers outside dealt with we made sure Miguel would not turn before proceeding to clear out the farm house.

Once the farm house was secured Glen and Roger took the Humvee to get close enough to Hershel's farm to radio the others so they knew it was time to make their way here. The rest of us began collecting the bodies and stripping them of anything useful before piling them up for burning. Late in the evening just before dark the rest of the group arrived. Securing the gate, we then all gathered in the farm house for the night as the mansion, trailers and tents still needed to be cleared. The next day was spent clearing the rest of the property and disposing of the corpses via burning outside the walls. Miguel's body was also cremated in a separate location outside the walls as we did not want to risk contaminating the soil. Over the next week we managed to bring the chickens, horses and a dozen cattle along with the resources to support them to our new home. We also brought farming equipment and seeds to plant crops for the spring. This was completed just in time as the Geene farm was overrun before we could rescue anymore cattle.

The mansion is now our primary residence as although it was not complete it is still our best option. Construction looks like it was stopped in the final phase as it seems they were working on putting up dry wall and installing flooring etcetera. The mansion has been built with strong concrete walls with a false stone facing to look like a castle, it has running water fed from one of the wells on the property and limited electricity from solar and wind power. It has a backup diesel generator for emergencies but we need to find the proper chemicals to be able to store both diesel fuel and gasoline or we will be stuck using the horses for transport in the near future. At least there are quite a few fire places we can use to keep warm over the winter.

We have amassed quite the arsenal to add to what Morgan and I brought with us to Atlanta. After collecting and servicing the weapons on the property as well as those from the walkers Andrea took down along the road, we have no shortage of M4 carbines or M16 rifles, several with the M203 grenade launcher attachment. A fair number of M9 pistols, two more M2 fifty caliber heavy machine guns, one on a tripod and the other mounted on a Humvee. We also have two M249 squad automatic weapons, one M240L medium machine gun, a single M110 sniper system as well as a single M224 60mm mortar with mostly illumination rounds. We gathered a fair amount of ammunition for all the weapons but we will still have to use it sparingly. We even located some more grenades and Claymores along with the cargo trucks containing razor wire and other items to reinforce our defenses. Our main problem is that Morgan is the only one with the training to use most of it.

As for vehicles we have more Humvees than we can use and several Cargo trucks along with a tanker half full of diesel but who knows how long the fuel will remain viable before breaking down. we now have a bulldozer, backhoe and excavator in military colors along with their transport trucks and trailers. There is a limited supply of MRE's and medical supplies as well. We have also acquired several FEMA accommodation trailers and one FEMA Medical trailer.

Our main concerns now are the shortage of manpower to secure a compound this size and the limited food & medicine available to us. Calling a meeting we gather together to discuss our goals for the future. First is to gather more food and medicine, second is to improve our defenses and training, third is safely recruiting more survivors and lastly is gathering more winter clothes, gear and livestock for the farm. "As for recruiting, I think we should try to find Michonne as she should be in the area of Hershel's farm. I also remember some people were holding up in a library near the prison as well. In regards to medicine there is the FEMA trailer at the high school near Hershel's farm. For food we could go for the prison and or the Big Spot near it. After explaining what I remember from my 'vision' in more detail the discussion continues.

The group has come to the following decisions regarding our next steps. Daryl will scout and hunt the immediate area around our compound. Peter is going to use the excavator to dig a trench or moat around the compound outside the wall to keep large numbers of walkers from building up against the wall and to keep someone from ramming the wall with a vehicle. Peter will also figure out a way to put up barriers to keep someone from ramming strait through the gate as well with out preventing our use of the gate. We will also continue installing the razor wire to keep other survivors from climbing over the wall. Glen will take a crew to locate and scout the Big Spot store along with any other promising location they come across. Morgan will continue training and work with Peter to setup fighting positions for the mortar and machine guns. Andrea and I will try to locate and recruit Michonne. Anyone leaving the compound is advised to be cautious of other survivors as they may be from Woodbury or one of the other dangerous groups. While not really important we also need to acquire household goods for the farm house and mansion as they are mostly empty.

Andrea and I spent the next few days avoiding walker herds while trying to locate Michonne. The afternoon of the fourth day we spotted her entering Hatlin's bar. Parking the Humvee in the back alley and locking the steering wheel we make our way to the front door. Nocking lightly on the door I call out Michonne's name and state we mean her no harm before slowly opening the door. Michonne is taking cover behind the bar with her two chained walkers and pointing a sawed-off double barrel shotgun at us. Motioning us inside she asks us how we know her name and what we want. Once again, I retell my coma dream story and ask her to join us. Michonne is obviously skeptical and starts to ask questions to try and confirm my story. I answer them to the best of my ability and point out things I know about her that I should not, until we hear a vehicle pull up followed by the voices of two men approaching the bar. Shit I was not expecting this as Dave and Tony should be long gone by now. Whispering to Andrea and Michonne that it is probably Dave and Tony two bad guys. I place my hand on my Colt and motion Andrea to get ready and to spread out.

Dave steps through the door with Tony right behind him and exclaims "Whoa what do we have here" as he aims his pistol at Michonne's tame walkers, while Tony aims his shotgun in our direction. The three of us are aiming our weapons at Dave and Tony as I reply, "Easy now no one needs to get shot today. The walkers are not a threat to you, they are just for camouflage". The three of us can tell this not going to end well with the way Dave and Tony are eyeing the women. Dave starts forward saying "We can be friends, lets share a drink". As soon as he blocks Tony's line of fire, I shoot Dave in the head followed quickly by Andrea taking out Tony. Michonne simply shrugs and leaves the sawn-off shotgun on the counter stating it is not loaded. I quickly strip Dave and Tony of their weapons and ammo, handing the shotgun and shells to Michonne and the pistol to Andrea as I already carry two pistols. I then pile the two bodies against the door and tell Andrea and Michonne that we should get out of here before their buddies show up. Michonne if you are coming with us you will have to leave your pack mules behind. Heading for the back door I can hear another vehicle approaching. I slowly open the back door and take a peek out only to find Randal and an African American guy checking out the Humvee. I signal Andrea and Michonne that there are two guys outside. Hearing two shots from the front of the bar, I step out and shoot the African American guy in the head but Andrea only manages to wound Randal. She appears to have been affected by killing Tony which is understandable. Luckily Michonne follows up and takes Randal out with the shotgun. Jumping in the Humvee we take off while bullets ping off the vehicles armor. A large number of walkers have been drawn by the gunfire which is actually a good thing as it has prevented the others from directly following us. I make sure to take a circuitous route back to the compound to make sure we are not being followed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Upon returning to the compound Andrea and I show Michonne around and introduce her to the others. The rest of the evening is spent answering Michonne's questions and getting her settled in. After breakfast the next morning I inform the group of our encounter and request we stay within the compound for a week or two as a precaution against retaliation from the remainder of the other group. Dale once again climbs on his high horse to condemn our actions as uncivilized. I am concerned that Dale will be unable to act in defense of the compound if we are ever attacked by other survivors and make Morgan aware of my concerns.

With everyone at the compound we continue to improve our defenses and continue our training. We are also trying to learn different skills from each other so that they will not be lost to the group if an individual dies. Patricia, Otis and Hershel are teaching medical skills to the group at large but mostly Amy and Beth. Peter is showing T-dog how to operate the heavy equipment while completing the trench and other defenses. Everyone is learning combat skills while we provide security for Peter and T-dog so they can safely work outside the walls. Daryl has agreed to try and teach Jimmy to hunt as he knows how to use a bow. They will have to wait until it is safe to leave the compound so Jimmy can go to his farm and recover his bow. Jim is working with Dale on mechanical skills as they maintain the vehicles. Morgan is teaching the more combat oriented of us how to use the heavy weapons, grenades and mines as well as military tactics. Finally, I am trying to learn how to properly wield my sword from Michonne.

I have been spending as much time as I can with Carl as I have been away from him too much recently. I have been lucky that he has had Duane and Sophia to keep him company while I have been away. Carl seems to be maturing nicely with the training and responsibilities he has taken on. Michonne seems to be slowly adjusting to being with the group and has taken to the kids well. Andrea and I have been getting closer after spending time with her to help her come to terms with killing Tony.

After ten days of work there is little more, we can do to improve the defenses without acquiring more razor wire or barbed wire. We now have a trench twenty foot out from the wall surrounding the compound with the excavated dirt piled on the wall side. We plan to install stakes in the dirt mound when possible. A majority of the wall is topped by razor wire but we still have gaps to fill when we get more razor wire. The gate and driveway are protected by an 'S' shape set of barriers with our spike strips articulated by lines and pulleys. Morgan has placed the pair of tripod mounted M2 Browning 50 Caliber heavy machine guns on the mansion roof and a couple of claymore mines just outside the gate. One of the Humvees with the M2 Browning is located near the gate to provide anti vehicle capability. We have also put up several watch towers and fighting positions although we cannot man all of them at this time. The kids even came up with the bright idea to build a couple of tree forts which we have stocked with emergency supplies and weapons.

Thirteen days after the incident at the bar, Carl and I were heading to the gate to take over the afternoon watch from Dale and Jimmy when I noticed Dale was about to open the gate. "What are you doing Dale?" "Opening the gate, there is a kid outside who is being chased by walkers." Jimmy chimes in with "I told him not too." I am just about to tell him not to open the gate but I am too late. Dale slides open the gate just enough for a teenager to slip inside and promptly gut Dale like a fish with a large knife. Gunshots ring out as Jimmy takes cover screaming "the walkers are shooting at me!" Running towards the gate I direct Carl to the fighting position with the mine clackers. I head for the Humvee with the M2 Browning as I can hear vehicles approaching at high speed. I try to take out the teenager at the gate but he is using Dale as cover while pushing open the gate. Jimmy finally manages to take out the kid but the gate is most of the way open. Through the open gate I can see a number of walkers like Michonne's being herded by the men who are shooting at us and behind them I can see two pickup trucks with more armed men racing towards the gate.

"Carl trigger the mines and take out anyone left alive." I shout as I man the 50 cal and take aim at the trucks. The mines explode and Carl & Jimmy look for any surviving threats to handle. After the dust settles, I use short bursts as taught by Morgan to adjust my aim and let rip on the trucks causing extreme carnage. Soon enough several of the others show up to take over the cleanup as the three of us are in shock at the destruction we caused. The last thing we witness before heading to a quiet place to unwind is Daryl giving Dale mercy. Later in the evening the group gathers to discuss what happened, where upon the three of us tell our story and learn that Andrea recognized one of the men from the bar. The others recovered a few serviceable weapons and some ammunition but most of their stuff was damaged or destroyed by the three of us. The next couple of days were spent repairing the defenses, dealing with the influx of walkers and trying to come to terms with our actions.

With things settling down, Daryl and Jimmy went on their hunting training and to scout around the compound while Glen and Maggie went to the Big Spot store to setup the lure to clear out some of the walkers. Two days later Glen and several others took one of the cargo trucks to loot the store. Over several trips the store was cleared of any useable items. Thankfully the helicopter did not come through the roof as it had not been weakened over the winter yet. Once Susan had inventoried our haul, she informed us we would still need more food, medicine, household goods to make the buildings more livable as well as enough razor wire to finish topping the walls. It was decided that the household goods would be taken from nearby farms or houses. I then pointed out that food and razor wire could be had at the prison along with potentially three more able bodies. Jim reminded us we need to gather more fuel and the proper means of storing it along with a request to bring back a mobile mechanics truck if possible. He also suggested we keep an eye out for good gasoline powered vehicles as they will be needed when the diesel fuel is no longer viable. Horses were also added to our need it list as within two years it will be almost impossible to find viable fuel.

Morgan and Daryl went to scout the prison the next day while the rest of us continued our daily routines. Morgan and Daryl did not return when expected causing us some concern. The next day as we were discussing a search party they finally returned. They had to hide for a while as another group were scouting the prison when they arrived. From their description of the other group it appears they were from Woodbury. The good news is they overheard them saying it would be too dangerous to try and take the prison. Discussing it amongst the group we however believe it can be done with limited risk if planned properly. We decided to wait a week at least before another scouting trip to the prison to confirm no one from Woodbury is around. During the week Morgan And Daryl would scout the high school to see if we could grab the FEMA medical trailer and any other resources around it. T- dog would join the second scouting trip to the prison as the plan was to use a bulldozer from a nearby construction site to block the hole in the wall if possible. This would keep anymore walkers from getting into the prison, making it easier for us to accomplish our goals.

Two weeks later we were ready to tackle the prison. Using melee weapons, we drew as many walkers to the fence as possible to take them out. While spending a couple of hours taking out walkers through the fence was tiring it was much safer than trying to reach the courtyard gate through a bunch of walkers. With the walkers slowing to a trickle we advanced into the field and then to the inner courtyard taking out the few walkers still around. The hardest ones to deal with were the walkers in riot gear even though we were prepared for them due to my warnings. Locking the inner courtyard gate with a chain and padlock we made our way to C block and cleared that of the few roaming walkers. Having taken a short break, we scavenge for the keys and grab some riot shields before continuing to the entrance to the 'Tombs'. Once at the door we prepared to lure the walkers to us so that we could fight them in a controlled manner. Two of us would hold the opening with the shields while four others would use spears or swords to take out walkers from behind the shield bearers. Sometime later and now exhausted after all the walker slaying, we lock the door to the 'Toombs" and fall back to C block for the night.

The next morning, we enter the 'Toombs' to try and find the cafeteria with T-dog and Roger up front with the shields followed by Daryl with his crossbow and backed up by myself and Michonne with our swords on either side of him. Glen was in the rear marking our path with spray painted arrows. With the cautionary tale of Hershel's amputation on our minds everyone makes sure any walkers are truly dead. Breaking into the cafeteria Daryl shoots Tomas with his crossbow as soon as he reaches for his pistol. I then stab Andrew as he tries to grab the pistol from the body. Oscar, Axel and Big Tiny are at first shocked then wary as T-dog, Roger and Daryl are pointing pistols at them. Grabbing the pistol from the body myself I begin to tell them my coma dream spiel while leading them outside to the courtyard. After explaining things to them I offer them the choice to join us or go out on their own.

Choosing to join us they help with the loading of the food, recovering the diesel fuel from the generators and taking down the razor wire. They also draw us a map so we can raid the infirmary and the armory as we do not yet trust them around weapons or drugs. After spending one more night in C block we head back to the compound with our loot. Arriving at the compound the three ex-convicts are given a trailer to live in until they have proven trustworthy. They are also assigned tasks to help around the compound and earn their keep. Finally, the rules are explained to them and a warning given about the fatal consequences of trying anything funny.

The run to the high school went well until they returned with the trailer and we figured out we would have to temporarily remove the barriers in front of the gate to get it in. During the next few weeks the razor wire was completed, the barriers restored and scavenging for household goods continued. Daryl and Jimmy found a library where some survivors were holed up and began to scout them for recruitment. Andrea and Hershel agreed to approach them after Daryl said they looked like good candidates. Morgan, Glen, Daryl and Jimmy went with them to provide backup incase things turned ugly. It turned out well as they brought the group to the compound and it included Doctor S. Although I am not sure what to do about Lizzie, other than warn the others to keep an eye on her in case she goes psychotic again.

With winter approaching we will continue our scavenging, training and scouting until the spring. The plan is to try to locate Tyreese's group and Abraham's group for recruitment. In the spring we will try to locate Lieutenant Wells and his men before his helicopter crashes. This will deprive the governor of their resources and hopefully gain us the soldiers and their resources. We will also try and locate the group with the tank for the same reasons, especially as the tank is a threat to our walls. Failing that, we will need to acquire an anti-armor weapon of some sort.


End file.
